Let there be rock!

LocationMain GalleryCostFREETimeSat 8 Dec – Sun 17 Feb 2019 Let there be rock!One night in a club called “The Shaking Hand”There was a ninety-two decibel rocking bandAnd the music was good and the music was loudAnd the singer turned and he said to the crowd –Let there be rockAC/DC, 1977 Let there be rock!, a forthcoming gallery exhibition at HOTA Home of the Arts takes inspiration from AC/DC’s boisterous album of the same name.For three decades from the 1970s to 1999, the Gold Coast was a hot-spot on the bucket-list of Australia’s live music touring circuit. With iconic venues like The Playroom, Bombay Rock, The Patch, Jet Club and Fisherman’s Wharf, the Coast played host to some of the hottest and most notorious international and Australian music acts; as well as some of our best local talent. From The Ramones and Cold Chisel at The Playroom, to INXS and The Go-Betweens at Bombay Rock; and Nirvana and The Violent Femmes at “Fisho’s”; this exhibition celebrates the heyday of hard-core rock and entertainment through stories, memorabilia, photos and footage.“It was violent and wild. This is back in the days when groupies were rabid, punters were violent and the bouncers had just been released from prison!” – Steve Kilbey; The Church on playing The Jet Club, Coolangatta Alongside this exhibition there will be an action packed program of film, concerts and talking heads featuring iconic artists celebrating rock – past, present and future. Full program released in October. Image:Rennie Ellis | Kym Hosking, Sheba, The Playroom, Gold Coast 1983 (detail) | digital print | State Library of Victoria collection